LOL Herd

Theater NDSU unveiled the play ‘Servant of Two Masters’ at Walsh Studio Theater last week. This is the second and final week of the showing and the tickets are almost sold out.

The famous play by Carlos Goldoni, adapted and translated by Jeffery Hatcher and Paolo Emilio Landi, was presented to packed audiences and was received with thundering applause.

This play uses the comedia dell’arte form of Italian theater. Director Hardy Edward Koenig, Asst. Professor in Theater Arts, also added improvisation to the play, better known as ‘improvs’. In improvisation, certain parts of play do not have set actions or dialogues.

It calls for impromptu action by artists on stage in such situations for these parts. All artists handled the play so well, that it was impossible to tell which portions were scripted and which ones were improvs.

The plot of Servant of Two Masters revolves around the life of a blundering servant who gets caught in the middle of two masters simultaneously and how he juggles between them while nearly escaping out of tight situations. This romantic farce is a comical joyride for young and old alike and covers everything from sword fights to food fights.

The plot, although fictitious, is very much real in the lives of today’s youth believes director Koenig. “It’s not very unusual to see students juggle between their responsibilities in life and ironically we find ourselves in such situations, often more frequently than we would expect” says Koenig.

The play which was adapted, cast and rehearsed in merely six weeks turned out beautifully with all ninety-two seats of Walsh Studio Theater full in all shows so far.

This is the second time Theater NDSU has left its audiences spellbound. The first time, we all remember, was with Anonymous a play based on ‘social identity of immigrants in USA’. These plays are part of Fall Theater Shows that NDSU Theater organizes each year.

When asked if theater is dying a slow death, Hardy smiles and replies, “How can theater ever die? It is, after all, the basis for all entertainment forms we enjoy today.” In fact, Hardy feels theater has seen a revival in the recent years.

The theater department of NDSU has always worked towards introducing its students to variety of talents and skills while entertaining its audiences to the maximum and Hardy feels it is necessary for a stable society. Last year the department had a guest artist from Japan teach the classical form of Japanese theater to NDSU students.

Theater NDSU hopes to keep such shows going and keeping the campus a fun place. They expect to attract similar crowds as last week for the showings this week as well, especially as it is the final week of the play.